Gamprs have been bred for function more than appearance. Any color is permissible, except merle, liver or blue, and blue eyes or eyes lacking dark eyeliner, and pink noses. This makes sense, because been line-bred/inbred or have a high coefficiant of inbreeding. The gampr is a landrace with a healthy heterozygous genotype, so the double-recessive mutations have not yet appeared in the breed. The thick coat of the gampr is excellent protection in all weather extremes. Typically, longer-haired dogs were from the snowy highlands, and shorter-haired dogs were from the lowlands. The outer hairs tend to be darker than the dense, downy undercoat. They shed their coat once or twice a year, in great amounts. Puppies often are born slightly darker than they grow to be as an adult.Gamprs have strong, muscular bodies with large bone structure. It is often surprising how large their heads are when compared other modern 'pet' dogs. On short-coated dogs, the tail is usully cropped, but not very short. It should be similar to the tail of a jack russel, proportionally. Traditionally, the ears on the gampr are cropped at three days after birth. At this time, it is mainly cartilage, and almost no bleeding occurs. This is prefereable in working dogs. The historical necessity was to prevent easy holds and resulting pain

Various close relations, such as ovcharkas, central asian shepherds, and modern Kangal are all very similar and display many of the same characteristics. The Gampr is unique in that it retains all of the genetic variation that it began with, and even has supposedly had occasional crosses with native wolves until about 300 years ago. The breed evolved for a rigorous lifestyle requiring independent intelligence, strong survival instincts, reliable livestock guardianship, and a dependable, efficient physique. Although much of the native stock had been depleted in the early twentieth century and continues to be drained by lack of recognition resulting in dogs being registered as other breeds, careful persistent breeding can thoroughly revive the breed. Historically, only dogs who were intelligent and hardy could survive to be reliable breeders, therefore natural selection has done a superb job in designing one of the most durable, reliable, and enduring breeds in the world.

when defending livestock from predators. Most dogs are still used this way, and it can be a sensible thing to do, possibly even saving a dogs life if under heavy threat by wolves or coyotes.. When raised under appropriate circumstances, gamprs develop into level-headed, reliable and intelligent dogs. This means that they need adequate space, cleanliness, and a good healthful diet. Puppies need ample room to explore, to wrestle with each other, and to be able to defecate away from the nest. It is important to socialize young dogs learn normal human and dog social behavior in order for instinctive signals to be interpreted correctly as an adult. This is the beginning of a sound-minded, reliable dog. A dog who doesn't learn the natural order of, and subtle signals of authority is possibly going to be a problem as an adult.Puppies should be introduced to livestock early, and the ones who have a particular affinity for this work will be preferred as breeding dogs. Gamprs can make great livestock guardian dogs at a later age, but starting young is ideal. In Armenia, Gamprs excel as personal companions and guard dogs as well as livestock guardians. Whatever the task may be, they do need large, open space for exercise. One of the most important differences in this breed is their independent mind - if they decide that you need protection, they will protect you.

They have a very strong desire to love and be loved, and especially to belong to their family. Unlike more domesticated breeds that will unthinkingly devote themselves to you absolutely without question, these dogs will think about it. The owner will create the relationship with the dog, consistently. If the owner ignores the dog, the dog will begin to ignore the owner. Somewhat like a good friendship - it has to be kept up, nurtured, or the dog will end up finding new, better friends. Gamprs have a tendency to create bonds with children and women first, and recognize the leadership within a family. This is also true for livestock: lambs and kids first, and will therefore bond with the flock/family. Once the dog has decided that they are an important part of a family, thats where they stay and

protect. Basically, if this is to be a family dog or estate guardian, the dog has to be included in a working relationship, not just put out back on the assumption that it will function without emotional input or attachment. If the dog is put to work as a flock guardian, it will need to get to know its family and particularly be involved with the new babies. For the purpose of preserving the breed, AGCA is developing a three-part evaluation system, where each dog is scored on various attributes. We are opposed to breeding dogs per a bench standard, as the inflated price of dogs who conform to certain physical characteristics defined by human desire for a good-looking specimen has reduced the usefulness of many other breeds of dog.The gampr is uniquely shaped by nature and necessity, not fashion or vanity or pocketbooks, and should remain so.

A standardized breed, conforming to a certain look, color, or type specified by a PRESCRIPTIVE physical standard. Rather, the gampr has a DESCRIPTIVE standard which describes the breed as it is, rather than what our current personal opinion dictates that it should live up to.